The Soul of The Samurai
by ZJones1515
Summary: When a wandering swordsman and the Yakuza clash in Jump City all hell's gonna break loose! PG13 for violence and dark themes.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:I do not own Teen Titans

Note:I posted this fan fic previously, but I did not like the way it was set up.  
So, I decided to take it off and rewrite it. Now it's longer and more detailed!  
Please Read&Review!

The Soul of The Samurai (Revised)

Chapter one

Everything was changing. Autumn had claimed the landscape, and the first leaf had fallen. Now, it was just a matter of time before the cold winter winds came howling.  
Raven stood atop Titan's Tower, wondering what kind of changes the cold would bring. Yet, unknown to her change was already walking into the city...

The cold wind whipping through the city seemed to mark the arrival of a stranger.  
He seemed just as cold as the autumn winds that were chilling the city, if not, colder. It was not a cruel cold though, but more of a sad, lonely cold. He was careful to avoid the crowded streets, and not draw attention to himself, afterall dressed the way he was he would, at the very least draw a few stares. He was dressed in a dark gray kimono that was tattered and worn, a dark blue obi was wrapped around his waist and a dark gray samurai sword was thrust through the sash, holding it tightly against his hip. To finish it all off, a rice-straw hat known as a Ronin Gasa rested atop his head, hiding his face from view. Such a costume made a lot of people very nervous, so he mainly traveled by night or, when possible on roof tops. He grimly trudged onward, his destination unclear, even to him. To him this was nothing new. He had, afterall been wandering his whole life with no real place to go to. His seemingly endless wandering had brought him to a small cliff overlooking the bay, a large suspension bridge stretched across the water to the other side of the city. That, however was not what was drawing the wanderer's attention,  
it was the large T-shaped tower on the island in the middle of the bay. The setting sun painted the sky shades of pink, purple and orange, making the tower look like a shining jewel. For just a moment he stopped to admire the beauty of it all, a rare thing for him indeed. As the last light of the sun gave way to twilight he once again was on his way, he could only wonder who would live in such a magnificent place

All was calm inside Titan's Tower, everyone had turned in for the night and was sleeping peacefully. All was quiet, the only sound was the wind blowing outside.  
The tower remained that way for many hours until, just before midnight the tower's computer received an emergency dispatch. The tower alarms began to blare wildly,  
waking the sleeping teens. In a few minutes the five teens were gathered in the living room as Robin typed at the computer keyboard. "Titans, trouble!" Robin shouted.

Said "trouble" was down at the docks. The Titans were there in record time, and no sooner had they left the T-Car, the warehouse door lifted up to reveal a group of men,  
most them no older than the Titans. They were holding boxes of various goods and a few were loading the goods onto a truck. "Hold it!" Robin yelled at them. All heads turned to the teens, one man stepped forward with a smirk. "Well, well if it ain't the Jump City brats!" He said in a commanding tone. Robin glared at him, as the man smirked even more. "Why don't you little kiddies run along home? It's past your bed time!" With that every crook in the warehouse broke out in hysterical laughter.  
The Titans were not amused. "Titans GO!" Robin growled, with that the fight of the night started. The thugs were mostly armed with nothing more than pistols and knives, not a great arsenal but deadly nonetheless. Cyborg blasted three of the crooks with his sonic cannon, and turned to knock down two more with his fist.  
Suddenly one jumped on Cyborg's back, wrapping his arms around his neck. Cyborg's eyes went wide as he saw a knife appear in front of his face, ready to slash hit throat. "End of the line, Tin Man!" Just as the blade began to move a green flash lit up the warehouse quickly followed by a pained yelp. The thug dropped to the floor as Cyborg turned, to see Starfire floating with two star-bolts ready. "Thanks,  
Star!" Said the grateful Titan. Robin and Beast Boy had their hands full trying to fight fifteen of the thugs at once, if they were not being shot at they were being slashed at. Yet, Robin and Beast boy were putting up a good fight and were wearing down their foes; Robin continued to K.O foe-after-foe with his staff and Kung-Fu.  
Beast Boy, on the other hand was having a much harder time of it, he had knocked a few senseless as a bull, and was currently throwing crates at them as a bigfoot,  
with little success. Just as one of them took aim with a hunting rifle, a sonic blast knocked them all to the floor. "Thanks, dude!" Beast Boy called out at Cyborg, who was on the other side of the warehouse. Starfire had it easy, she could fly faster than the thugs could aim and this kept her well away from their knives. One could easily call it the "Great Jump City Turkey Shoot." The thugs were not particularly well trained, or even very brave, by the time the fight had begun a good number of them had run off. At last there were only ten left, including the leader and Raven had them with their backs to the wall. Yet, there was something different about this group, they seemed more dangerous than the rest and, for some reason the other thugs kept their distance from these guys. As Raven stared her foes down a scream from outside caught her attention, One of the thugs saw his chance and lunged at Raven. She just barely dodged to the right as her attacker drew a sword in mid-lunge, thrusting it forward. Had Raven not moved as fast as she did he would have stabbed her right through the heart, but she was not out of the woods yet. The thug turned the sword and slashed into Raven's shoulder, not deep, but enough to be very painful. It felt like she had been slashed with a surgeon's scalpel, the pain distracted Raven long enough for her assassin-to-be to sweep-kick her legs out from under her.  
As she hit the floor Raven rolled to the side as the sword came down at her face, she got into a crouching position just as the thug turned and lunged at her once again. This close there was no chance to raise a shield in time, or get away, all she could do was hope for a quick death. Suddenly the glass of the skylight above shattered, and a shadow dropped down fast as lightning, the sound of flesh being cut was heard, and the next thing Raven knew someone was standing in front of her. A blood-chilling scream filled the warehouse, catching the attention of the other Titans. Raven stared at her attacker, who was now on the floor holding where his right arm used to be, screaming in agony. His arm was now on the floor, the sword still in it's hand. It had been severed just above the elbow with surgical precision. As well, there was another cut across his chest that had just barely gone through the bone, neither cut had been meant to kill. The leader was sweating bullets as he stood there staring at an enemy that haunted his nightmares like the dark shadow of the devil himself. The shadow stepped forward into the pale moonlight pouring through the broken skylight, and even though his eyes were hidden from view the thugs and their leader could see murder in them. It was at this time the other Titans arrived. "Raven, what ha-" Robin stopped as did the other Titans to stare in shock at the event unfolding before them. One of the thugs was on the floor, holding the upper half of his arm, screaming in pain. The other half was laying on the floor not far from him, a Japanese sword still in the hand. A dark figure stood over the wounded man, he too held a Japanese-type sword and it was smeared with blood. Robin then noticed Raven on the floor behind the swordsman. "Raven!" The boy wonder yelled, running to his friend's side, the other Titans following close behind. As the teens knelt down to help their fallen friend the swordsman spoke. "Get your friend out of here." He said in a low voice. The Titans did as they were asked, Cyborg picked Raven up and carried her to the T-Car while the others stayed to fight, and get some answers.  
The thugs were shaking in their boots, but not from the Titans it was from the walking nightmare staring at them like a wolf about to strike. With every step forward he took they took a step back, petrified. The leader spoke up. "WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING? KILL HIM!" With that three of the thugs leapt at the swordsman, yet before they could draw their swords their foe was already on the move. The backside of the sword blade smashed into one man's skull, knocking him out in midair.  
The next blow came in the form of a fierce left-hook to the next man's throat, another K.O! The last was knocked senseless by the hard iron handle-cap, three men out cold in one second, amazing by any standards, and Robin could tell he was only warming up! The warrior landed gently on one foot, while his enemies dropped to the floor with a thud. The Titans were stunned, this swordsman had just taken down three armed men in one leap and he was far from being finished with them. the swordsman raised his sword and pointed it at the thug's leader. "Come and get it"  
The swordsman growled, and this time all six of the thugs attacked! As the Titans watched, the same thought was running through their heads; who is he? And how do these crooks know him? As the thugs closed in, their foe ducked down and rolled out of the way, letting them bash into each other. As the crooks tried to get up the swordsman pounced on them, bashing them silly with various kicks and punches.  
As he got to his feet the swordsman heard laughter, and turned to the only crook left;  
the leader. "What's so funny?" The swordsman asked. The leader laughed again, and smirked. "You didn't kill any of my men, THAT'S what's so funny!" He started to laugh even more. "What's the matter? Gone soft!" As he continued to laugh, he noticed the swordsman was staring dead into his eyes...from three feet away!  
"W-w-what the-" He did not have time to finish, as the swordsman punched him in the face with the kind of force that shatters bone like glass. the man landed spread eagle, and knocked for a loop! With this the Titans stepped forward to get some answers, as they neared their savior he spoke. "Your friend will be fine." He spoke in a slow, calm tone. "She has a small cut on her left shoulder, but it's not deep"  
He turned to look at them. "It will, however likely need stitches. Just make sure she gets lots of rest." With that he turned and walked under the skylight, and looked down at the first crook, who was now unconscious on the floor. He knelt down to get a better look at his arm. It had been cauterized. The swordsman stood up and looked over his shoulder at Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire, giving them a glimpse of haunting gray eyes. "Good job on the cautery, if not for you this man would likely be dead. You may make a fine doctor someday, young lady." Starfire blinked, how did he know she had done that? His back had been turned to them the whole time! With this he crouched down and leapt up and out of the ware house. "Titans follow him"  
Robin shouted. Starfire was the first on the roof, followed by Beast Boy and Robin.  
"Star, did you see where he went?" Robin asked. "I did not." She replied. Indeed, the only thing on that roof, other than the three teens was the howling of the wind.

So as not to confuse the readers, I will include a glossary of Japanese terms to make things easy to understand:)

Bushi:  
Literally means "Warrior" it is this word that the word "Bushido" or "The way of the warrior" derives.

Do:  
literally means "Way" for example the word "Kendo" means "The way of the sword"

Gasa:  
A type of hat commonly made from rice-straw or rushes, there are many different types; the type in this story, the Ronin Gasa is volcano-shaped.

Jutsu:  
Literally means "Art" for example the word "Jujutsu" means "The gentle art"

Kana:  
True Japanese letters, there are two groups of Kana, each with 48 letters.

Kanji:  
Chinese letters used by the Japanese, and have more than one "Reading" or one letter may have more than one meaning. There are 1945 Kanji letters in common use in Japan today

Kimono:  
Today it means a traditional Japanese robe worn by both men and women. In feudal Japan, however it means just "Clothes"

Ken:  
The word "Ken" means "To see" but the Kanji letter "Ken" means sword, the latter is the way it is more commonly thought of today. 

Obi:  
Sash worn around the waist as a belt, swords were worn thrust though the folds the sash; through the outer folds for a long sword, through the inner folds for a short sword or dagger.

Ronin:  
Literally means "Wave man" in feudal Japan it was used describe samurai without a master. Today it is applied to students between schools or a man without work. 

Samurai:  
Literally means "One who serves" when most people hear this word, they think of sword-wielding men in armor or the like. Not all samurai were warriors, and most people do not know there were women samurai too!

I hope you like the revised story. It's much better than the first version.  
Please leave a review on your way out, and have a nice day! 


	2. Chapter two

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. 

Author's note: I am having a lot of fun writing this, so I hope it will be just as much fun for you to read!  
Please ReadReview!

Chapter two

The three Titans were bewildered. "Who the heck was that?" Beast Boy asked.  
"I have no idea." Robin replied grimly. "Whoever they were, they seemed concerned about friend Raven." Starfire pointed out. "You're right, Star." Both Robin and Beast Boy agreed on that point. If that swordsman had not come when he did... the Titans did not want to think about what would have happened if he had not been there.  
Now, Robin's mind turned to the thugs still out cold in the warehouse, maybe they could provide them with some answers.

As the Titans reentered the warehouse, the thug's leader was up and trying to make a break for it! As he ran for the door, a birdarang knocked his feet out from under him. Robin was on him in a heartbeat. "Alright, who are you? Who are you working for?" The man smiled a bloody smile, and stared into Robin's masked face. "The family." The man smirked as Robin dropped him. "Yo, Robin! Get over here!" Beast Boy called. "What is it?" Robin asked, running up. "Dude, take a look at this!" With that the green teen pulled back the black T-shirt of one of the thugs lying face-down on the floor. "Tattoos!" Robin now had a better idea of who they were dealing with. The thug's back was covered with highly detailed tattoos, most of them had a certain style to them that was not to be found in tattoos from this part of the world.  
Something about them made Robin uneasy. "Let's wrap things up." The Titan's leader was very unnerved about this whole thing, and not just about that strange swordsman...

A few minutes later most of the thugs were off to jail, except for the one who had drawn a swordsman's wrath, he was going to the hospital. "That man will be...alright?" Starfire asked. "Yeah, Star, he will be thanks to you." The boy wonder replied. Yet, he seemed lost in thought. "Were have I seen those tattoos before?" He thought to himself. As he was lost in thought, his comm-link beeped at him, he answered it as quick as possible. "Cyborg?" Robin asked. "Yeah, it's me. I thought I should tell y'all Ravens doing fine! The cut was small and Rae healed most of it herself on the way back here, so she's O.K!" The three were relieved to hear this news. "Yo, what about that weird sword-guy?" "Gone." Robin replied.  
"Well, sounds like y'all done all ya can down there, why don't y'all come on back so we can all get some shuteye?" "Sounds good to me." With that Robin closed his Communicator and turned to his friends. "Let's go home, we'll look into this some more tomorrow." "I heard that!" Beast Boy replied. Now, finally the three teens were heading back home for the night.

Not surprisingly, everyone awoke much later than they normally did. Everyone, that is, except Robin who had been up since daybreak. He had been looking through the computer's data banks trying to find a match to those tattoos. The computer was now auto-searching for a match, Robin only had to wait. It was at this time that the rest of the Titans came into the living room. Beast Boy and Cyborg were battling for control of the kitchen as usual, Raven was brewing some of her herbal tea, and Starfire was flying over to wish a good morning to Robin. "Good morning, Robin"  
The cheerful alien girl called. "Good morning, Star, everyone." The masked leader of the Titans said, turning from the computer to face his team. "Come, Robin you need to have the breakfast with us!" Robin's stomach liked that idea, and growled to get it's owner's attention. "Yeah, you're right, Star." Indeed, he had not had anything to keep his strength up, breakfast with friends sounded nice. Robin sat down with Starfire next to him and watched Cyborg and Beast Boy both insult the other's cooking. "I'm tellin' ya man, tofu is not a breakfast food!" "Oh yeah? Well, they eat tofu for breakfast in Japan!" Beast Boy retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, we aren't in Japan!" Cyborg quipped. Robin knew this was going to go on for a while.  
"Oh, knock it off you two!" Said Raven as she sat down at the table. "Hey, Raven how are you feeling?" Robin asked the dark gothic teen sitting across from him.  
"A little sore, but I'll live." She said, sipping her tea. "Alright y'all! Breakfast is served!" Said Cyborg, setting down a huge plate of waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon,  
and toast with jam! Beast Boy just sat down with his miso soup, grumbling. As large as the breakfast was, in half an hour it was nothing but a sweet memory. As Cyborg was picking his teeth clean the computer beeped, signaling it's search was now over. Robin got up to check what the computer had found. "Yo, man what's up?" Cyborg asked. "I put a picture of one of those tattoos into the computer to look for any known matches in gangs or the like. Looks like the computer found a match"  
Robin replied, sitting down in front of the computer screen. "Let's see what we-..." He froze at what he saw on the screen. "Robin?" Cyborg asked. "What is the matter, Robin?" Star fire asked, flying to him. "No." Was all he could say. Starfire looked at the screen; there was a picture of a man with the same kind of tattoos that they had seen on the body of the thugs down at the docks. The computer listed the gang to which the tattoo belonged. "The Yakuza." Robin said in a shaky voice.  
"Please, what is this 'Yakuza' of which you speak?" Starfire asked. At the mention of the word, all the color drained from Cyborg's face. "YAKUZA! THOSE GUYS WERE YAKUZA!" Raven spit out her tea, and Beast Boy fainted. "Please, why is this 'Yakuza' so bad?" Wondering why everyone, even Raven was so scared. Robin was the first to speak. "The Yakuza, Starfire are the Japanese Mafia. They're very dangerous." Now the Titans had a BIG problem. Even the Police were scared of the Yakuza. No one DARED to challenge them, not even the H.I.V.E.! For years their name had struck fear into heart of the city. The Titans Fights with them had always been indirect, but now they had to watch their backs. Even going out for pizza, or to rent a movie would be very dangerous now. Not to mention the fact that their tower was now a giant target for a sniper's bullet. "This is bad." Said Cyborg in a weak voice. As the Titans pondered this the alarms went off! Robin typed at the keyboard furiously. "Titans, Trouble downtown!" "NO WAY, DUDE! I'M NOT GOING!" Yelled Beast Boy from the kitchen. "Come on! We've faced worse before." Said Robin, trying to be brave for the team. "You are right, Robin! We have defeated much worse than these Yakuza before. We need not be afraid." Said Starfire, thrusting her fist upward. Cyborg shook it off and shouted. "You're right, Star! We're the Teen Titans, we ain't scared of no Mafia!" This did wonders for the team's morale. "Okay, but if anything happens..." Raven looked at Beast Boy with a smirk. "What, you want to live forever?" She asked in a smart tone. He just glared at her. "Alright, let's go get 'em!" The green elf shouted. Robin smiled. "Titans, GO!"

They arrived on the scene in a few minutes...a few minutes too late, that is.  
the street looked like a scene out of a medieval war movie, men were spread about the street, moaning. Almost all of them had been cut by a very sharp blade. As the Titans checked to make sure they all were alive, a shopkeeper poked his head out of his broken shop door. "I-is it over?" He asked, his eyes as big as basket balls.  
"Yeah, ya can come out now." Cyborg called to him. The man sighed in relief. "That's good." As he walked out of his shop, his shop door fell to the ground with a crash, scaring the man enough to make him leap a good twenty feet high and grab a flagpole on the side of the building. The shopkeep looked around and then back to the amused teens, with a sheepish look on his face. Starfire brought the man back down to the street. "Sorry," he said "But you would be jumpy too if you saw a fight like that!" "What happened here?" Robin asked. "They came to collect 'protection'  
money and then HE just came out of nowhere and told them to knock it off, or else"  
The Titans were stunned. "And then?" Robin asked. "All hell broke loose!" "What Did he look like?" Raven asked. "Well, he was a little on the short side"  
The shopkeep looked at her. "He was only a little taller than you, without that broad-  
brimmed hat, of course." The Titans now knew it was their mysterious savior from the docks. "His clothes were really shabby. He looked like he hasn't had a bath in months." The man was all fired up! He looked happy that someone was standing up to these thugs. "Did he use a Japanese sword?" Robin asked. "Yeah, some of them had them too, I mean look what they did to that lightpole!" He answered, pointing to a light pole that had been cut in two. "WHOA!" Said Beast Boy, looking at the damage. The shopkeeper turned back to Robin, who was shocked. "They were good, but nowhere near his level. He cut them down like weeds!" "Thank you, sir." Said Robin. "No problem!" The shopkeep replied, walking back to his shop.  
"Well?" Asked Robin, turning to his teammates. "Well, nobody's dead." Cyborg replied. Robin sighed. "That's good. Anything else?" "Yeah, man. I called an ambulance, the're on their way." "And?" "I scanned their wounds. Let me tell ya man, this guy knows what he's doing." "How so?" Robin asked. Before Cyborg could answer, the ambulance arrived.

The Titans left the rest to the paramedics, there was little more they could do there.  
As the five teens drove home, no one could think of anything other than that strange swordsman. "So, who is he? Why is he here?" Cyborg asked. "I don't know. I wish knew how he factors into this, then maybe we could get some decent answers"  
The boy wonder replied. "Perhaps he is like us, afterall he did not kill anyone, even though he could." Starfire piped in. "Oh! That reminds me, remember how I told y'all how this knows what he's doing?" Said Cyborg. "Yeah." The others replied.  
"Well, scans show that the cuts made on those guys were made by someone who knows anatomy REAL well." Once again, the Titans were stunned by this news.  
"If the dude had wanted to kill anybody, he would have done it...easily." This was interesting news. "So," started Robin, "He's either a former doctor," "Or, an assassin." Finished Cyborg. The Titans were now more confused than ever before.  
Every time they answered one question, three more seemed to pop up! Where did it all end?

At that very moment, someone was watching the T-Car from on top of a building, but it was not the swordsman that was the topic of the Titan's latest discussion. No, this boy was older, but not by much. He was dressed in a black kimono with red trim, a blood-red obi was wrapped around his waist, and a black hakama with horizontal red stripes across the middle. His hair was the same blood-red as the accents on his clothes. He smirked as he hefted, what looked like a bazooka on steroids onto his shoulder. The weapon was massive! He chuckled as he locked on his target.  
Laughing insanely, he shouted. "GOOD BYE, BUGS!" That said, he pressed the fire button. The whole barrel recoiled as the massive energy blast flew like a bat out of hell! The round hit the side of the T-Car, sending it flying into the side of a brick building. The assassin was on the ground in seconds, big gun still on his shoulder.  
As the smoke cleared he looked over his handy work; the T-Car was now rested on it's roof, the windshield and all the windows were shattered so bad he could not see inside. The side that had been hit was now against the brick wall of the building, smoking. "No one could have survived that!" He thought to himself. He then chuckled, and bowed to a nonexistent crowd. "Ha ha thank you, and thank YOU"  
He said looking up at the smoking T-Car. At that he began to laugh again. As he was gloating over his work, the car door facing him exploded! "What the stink?" He said, shocked. Cyborg was the first out of the car, followed by Robin, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy. The Titans were shaken, but O.K. "What the heck happened?" Asked Beast Boy. Before anyone could answer, a whistle caught their attention.  
The five teens turned to face their attacker, only to be caught staring down the barrel of the BIGGEST bazooka they had ever seen! And it was no more than six feet away! They stared into their attacker's face, into those dark sun glasses. He smirked a large toothy smirk, that reminded Robin of the Joker. "Hello, bugs."

Glossary of Japanese terms;WeaponsClothing

Daisho:  
Literally means "Long and Short." The word is used to describe the two swords worn by warriors.

Daito:  
means "Long sword." This is the word for a warrior's sword of choice. These swords are customized to their owner's wishes, they can be straight, very curved, or even have the blade reversed!

Hakama:  
Baggy, pleated, skirt-like trousers worn by many people in Japan.  
By both men and women.

Haori:  
A thick jacket worn over a kimono. These are between hip or knee length.  
The front is closed by tying two cords together.

Kama:  
A small sickle used by rice-farmers.

Katana:  
The standard samurai sword.

Kusarigama:  
A kama connected to an iron weight by a chain.

Naginata:  
A pole arm with a sword-like blade mounted on the end of a staff between 4 and 8 feet long.

Ninjato:  
The ninja sword. Short, and straight bladed. Does not cut as well as a katana.

Nodachi:  
The biggest sword in Japan! This type of sword is so large, the swordsman needs someone to help him draw it! They can be well over six feet long, and most of them weigh only three pounds or so!

Shuriken:  
Throwing Blades, mostly in the form of stars or spikes. Not deadly on it's own, but when dipped in poison they are a menace!

Shoto:  
Means "Short sword." Blades are mostly curved.

Tabi:  
Split-toed socks. Very comfy:)

Tanto:  
Japanese dagger, sharp as a scalpel.

Tachi:  
Arming sword worn with armor, slung from cords around the waist with cutting edge down. The handle is bound with shark skin, and is the most curved sword in Japan.

Wakizashi:  
Literally means "Side arm." This is not a true short sword, it is the sub-sword or side sword. This or a true short sword are worn at all times by warriors.

Waraji:  
Straw sandals that tie around the ankle. Still worn today!

Zori:  
Normal sandals made from woven bamboo or grass.

My first review was a good one! This is my first fan fic, so I want it to be good. I want to thank everyone who reads my story.  
Thank you! Please leave more reviews! Oh, and have a nice day!


	3. Chapter three

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

Author's note/rant: Okay, I know my writing is a little clumsy, but come on!  
Only ONE review? I'm not THAT bad...am I?  
Read&Review!

Chapter three

"Bugs? What the heck is this guy-..." before Beast Boy could finish, the crazed teen shouted at them. "TIME TO GO 'SQUISH' BUGS!" as he was about to fire, a yell from above caught everyone's attention. "YAAAAAAAAH!" the Titans looked up to see a shadow block out the sun, it held a gleaming sword high above its head. The assassin had a look of horror on his face as the shadow dropped to the street, bringing the sword down as it did. Just as the massive cannon was about to fire, the whole front half of the cannon was cut clean off! The Titans stared at the person who had saved them; their mystery swordsman from the docks! The swordsman and the assassin looked dead into each other's eyes. Before the cut cannon half could hit the ground,  
the swordsman swung his weapon upward to finish this fight. The assassin leapt back just in time, had he been one millisecond slower he would have been cut in half.  
Now was a good time to retreat if ever there was one, he was completely outmatched now. Not only did he have the Teen Titans to deal with, now he had a walking nightmare to contend with! "Ooh, the little bugs have a bit more time!" he said with a sneer. From under his hat, the swordsman glared at his foe. "They might, but you don't." no sooner was that said, than he lunged at the assassin. The red-haired teen didn't give the swordsman the chance to get in even a small cut, as he ran for all he was worth! The Titans watched as their would-be assassin ran for it, with the swordsman in hot pursuit! Robin then realized that this was the perfect time to get some much needed answers. "Titans, stop him!" he shouted.  
"Which one?" Cyborg asked, looking at the team's leader.  
"Either one we can." he replied. "Titans, GO!" with that, the five teens gave chase.

The red-haired assassin ran like greased lightning, but his enemy was just as quick and was gaining on him fast! He had to think of something and quick! Then he saw his chance to lose him, or at least slow him down. It was a bus filled with people, the perfect diversion! As the bus went by, he threw a small black disc at the side of it. The disc stuck to the side of the bus and began to beep. "CATCH ME OR SAVE THEM, YA GOT FIFTEEN SECONDS!" the red-haired crazy shouted without breaking stride. The swordsman stopped and turned to chase after the bus.

It was at this moment that the Teen Titans came into view, running at the swordsman. As Robin saw the swordsman running at them he was expecting a fight, and yelled to the Titans. "Titans G-..." the swordsman yelled to the teens, interrupting Robin's call. "THERE'S A BOMB ON THE SIDE OF THE BUS!" with this news, the Titans ran for the bus as fast as their bodies could move! The swordsman ran along side the bus and cut the device from it, jumping back as he did. "CLEAR!" he yelled to the Titans. Just before the bomb could detonate, it was engulfed in black energy and flew upward, exploding safely above the buildings.  
The Titans were out of breath, but relieved that no one was hurt. They then turned to finally meet their two-time savior. Just as the shopkeeper had said, he was very shabby-looking, his clothes were tattered and torn, he was bare foot, what little of his face they could see was dirty and unshaven, and his sword was just as shabby, too.  
The kashira, fuchi-gane, and tsuba were a dark gray and had a 'beaten-iron' look to them. The tsuka-ito was a dark brown, and was matted down with sweat from its owner's hand. It was odd, the ito was simply wrapped around the tsuka, and not in the normal 'diamond-pattern' like one would expect to see on a Japanese sword.  
The saya was dark gray too, and it had a matte finish to it instead of the shiny lacquer finish seen on most swords of this type. The sageo was the same dark brown color as the ito wrapping on the handle. The most distinctive piece of the ensemble was the large, broad-brimmed, volcano-shaped hat atop his head.  
It kept his eyes from view, yet there was a small wickerwork window to allow him to see. However, his eyes were still well hidden. The Titans stared at him, not sure what to say. It was the swordsman who broke the silence. "Is anyone hurt?" he asked the five amazed teens. "No. Thanks to you." Robin replied.  
"Good." he said in a calm, even tone. Yet again, there was an awkward silence.  
It was Starfire who broke the silence this time. "We are most grateful to you for saving our friend last night." she said, bowing to the swordsman.  
"Yeah, thanks for saving my life." said the gothic teen.  
"You're welcome." the swordsman replied.  
"All right, now that we got the thanks out of the way, mind tellin' us who ya are?" Cyborg asked. "There is no answer to that question, I'm afraid." he said back.  
"Why not?" Beast Boy asked. It was, after all a simple question.  
"I'll say it another way; what's your name?" Robin asked the question in a different way. "I will say it again, There is no answer to that question." he said, his voice was a little sad now. "What do ya mean? Ya gotta have a name, right?" Cyborg asked, confused. "I don't." the swordsman said in a voice that was filled with pain and sorrow. What was he doing? He chided himself for showing weakness.  
As his attention came back to the five teens standing in front of him, he noticed the shocked look painted across their faces. "No name?" they said in unison.  
"Then, you don't have a home?" Robin asked.  
"No. Now if you don't mind," he said, turning from them. "This conversation is making me uncomfortable." with that he started to walk away.  
"Wait!" Starfire called out. He turned and faced them, there was another awkward silence. Raven spoke first. "We didn't mean to dig up a painful past." she said calmly. "Yeah, sorry." said Robin, scratching the back of his head. The swordsman stared at them as they walked towards him. Robin offered his hand to him. "Friends?" the Boy Wonder asked. The swordsman was in shock! They wanted to be his friends? Raven could tell from the look on his face that this was a first for the swordsman. He carefully took Robin's hand and shook it. Robin smiled and, for the first time in years, so did the swordsman. "Glorious! We are friends now!" said Starfire, happily. "Let me introduce you to everyone." said Robin.  
"I'm Robin." he started. "This is Starfire." he said, pointing to the happy alien girl.  
"Hello new friend!" she said, grabbing the young warrior in a bear hug. "It's nice to meet you." he said in a pained voice. Robin chuckled at this display. "Star, if you don't let go of him he won't live long enough to meet the others." Starfire let go of him quickly. He landed on his feet and stumbled backwards a few steps. "Ooh, you've got one hell of a grip there." he gasped, as he got his lost breath back. Robin continued. "That's Beast Boy." he pointed to the green changeling. The young man looked at Beast Boy in an odd way. "Are you sick?" he asked. Beast Boy was shocked, then annoyed as the other Titans laughed at this, even Raven! "I think I like this guy!" Cyborg laughed. "He's Cyborg." he pointed to the half-metal giant of the group. "Nice to meet ya!" he said, shaking the young warrior's hand. "And you've already met Raven." he smiled and bowed to her. "It's very nice to meet you." Raven even smiled back. "Same here." she replied and returned the bow.  
"We're the Teen Titans." said Robin.  
"It's an honor to meet you all." the young warrior replied.  
There was only one thing to get out of the way, and Raven was the first to voice it.  
"What do we call you if you don't have a name?" she asked.  
The young warrior thought for a moment, and smiled at them.  
"If you must call me something, call me, Ronin." Raven raised an eyebrow at this.  
"Ronin isn't a name, it's a word." she pointed out.  
"Yes," he replied. "But, I think it describes me quite well, don't you think?" he quipped.  
Raven smiled at him, it did at that. "Okay, Ronin it is!" said the Titan's leader.  
"Hey, what happened to the red-haired guy?" asked Beast Boy, looking around.  
"That's right! We gotta go after 'em!" shouted Cyborg. Robin slapped his forehead.  
"Don't worry." said Ronin. "He's long gone"  
"How do you know?" Robin asked.  
"Because, I've fought him before." now it was a whole new ballgame.  
"Y-you have?" Robin was shocked to hear this. "Where, when, wh-..." Ronin put his hand up. "Now is not the time or the place, Robin." he said, again in a calm, even tone. "Okay, but you need to tell us everything as soon as possible." Robin told the warrior. "Yes, of course." Ronin replied.

Glossary of Japanese terms; Component parts of the Japanese sword

Fuchi-gane:  
Collar at fore end of hilt.

Ha/Hasaki:  
Cutting edge.

Habaki:  
Blade collar that wedges the sword into the scabbard.

Hi:  
Longitudinal groove in blade.(Not all swords have these.)

Hamon:  
Tempered pattern of cutting edge.

Kashira:  
Butt-end cap of hilt.

Kissaki:  
Point of the sword.

Kojiri:  
Butt cap of the scabbard.(Made of iron.)

Koiguchi:  
Mouth band on open end of scabbard.(Made of horn.)

Kurigata:  
Cord-retaining knob mounted on scabbard.

Mekugi:  
Hilt-retaining peg.(Made of wood.)

Mekugi Ana:  
Retaining peg hole in hilt.

Menuki:  
Pair of hilt ornaments placed under the hilt wrap to enhance the grip of each hand.  
(Made of copper, bronze, iron, silver or gold.)

Monouchi:  
Area of maximum force of blade when in motion.(About from 6 inches from tip of the point toward the base of the blade.)

Mune:  
Blunt back-edge of the blade.

Sageo:  
Flat braided cord attached to the Kurigata.

Saya:  
Scabbard.(Made of lacquered wood or wood covered by lacquered metal.)

Tsuba:  
Handguard.

Tsuka:  
Hilt.

Tsuka-ito:  
Flat hilt braid used to wrap the hilt.

Note on continuity: This story replaces the 'Terra' arc of the series, but I may have Terra appear in a sequel. If I get enough reviews to merit one that is.  
Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! 


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